The Chronicles of Trivo: Phoenix Ranger, Ch. 5

Chapter 5

When Christopher awoke, the sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon. The clearing where he had camped had a slight elevation, and he could see endless leagues of forest stretching across an expanse of elven territory. The river Gilead cut a swath through the crowded trees, and pillars of smoke marked a few small settlements. Christopher stretched his aching muscles, made sore by a night spent on the forest floor with no bedding except for a layer of leaves and pine needles. Still, as blood began to flow to his tired muscles, he caught a whiff of coffee brewing at the camp fire. He sighed in contentment, and surprised himself when his fingers reached to stroke his beard only to be reminded he was now clean shaven to better blend in with the elves. Stifling a yawn, Christopher returned to the campfire where Steeven stirred a pot of boiling oats for breakfast.

“Morning,” Christopher grumbled to the others who were warming themselves with mugs of coffee. The companions had agreed to wake at dawn in the hope of reaching Athen while the market was still open. The others began holding their emptied coffee mugs to Steeven for their breakfast. One of Steeven’s companions carried the bowls for his usual mercenary company, so his mugs were being used instead.

After their breakfast, the group began breaking up camp. Trivo extinguished the fire, Steeven folded up his tent, and Elaina had been assigned to chart a course through the forest toward Athen. She and Celinda studied one of Trivo’s old Guild maps and marked their path with a quill and inkwell Celinda brought with her. Ithetuuk fletched more arrows for the bows he had carved with Trivo. Christopher helped. After a quarter of an hour, Elaina gathered her companions together.

“We’ll have to travel northeast from the river to make it to Athen in the shortest amount of time. There is a small path that deer use to drink from Gilead, but we’ll have to be careful. Predators and hunters may use this trail to catch deer just as Trivo, Christopher, and Ithetuuk did yesterday.”

“Good work, Elaina,” Trivo said.

“Aye, a good day’s journey. Let’s move,” Steeven added.

Trivo and the others formed a single column to move through the woods. Not only would this hide their numbers, but it was also a necessity for moving through the thick forest the animal trail led them through. Trivo walked ahead of the others. As an elf, he had sharp vision and could use his sword to clear any vines or brush that obstructed the path. Christopher walked behind him, followed by Elaina and Celinda. Steeven and Ithetuuk brought up the rear, acting as protection from any attack, however unlikely, from behind.

After a few hours of marching, the noon sun illuminated everything in the forest. Clouds of insects could be seen flying in the shafts of the sun’s rays, warmed by the early autumn sunshine. Suddenly, Trivo held up his right hand in a fist. He turned toward the group, and told them to crouch. He and Ithetuuk brought arrows to their bows, as Steeven grabbed his axe and Christopher wielded a sword that had been captured from the dungeons of Tyrn. Elaina brought her bow out as well, as Celinda silently rehearsed a few spells. A minute later, Trivo climbed up a tall tree and came back down just as quickly.

“A band of kobolds is headed right towards us. They have an elven prisoner,” he explained.

“Kobolds!” Elaina gasped. “We encountered them in the sewers, and were nearly overwhelmed.”

Steeven rolled his eyes at the thought of the short humanoid creatures, remembering their howling laughter, wolflike snouts, and doglike fur. Relatively harmless, their crude weapons were only effective if their opponents were overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Steeven had heard rumors that the breeding habits of kobolds helped them survive the aspersion of other more cultured races.

Ithetuuk spoke up. “This is a good spot for an ambush. If we leave the trail, we’ll risk getting lost, not to mention the time it’ll add to the trip.”

“I agree,” Trivo replied. “If their prisoner is a resident of Athen, the townsfolk would greatly appreciate his return.”

“Let’s draw up a battle plan. They could be here soon,” Christopher suggested.

“Good idea,” said Celinda.

Trivo instructed them, “Elaina, cover us from the trees with your bow. If you see any shamans, take them out first. Steeven, Christopher, join with me on our front flank. Ithetuuk, cover us with your bow, and help us with your blade if you think we need it. Celinda, use your magic if you’re able to. If not, find cover and wait for the battle to end.”

Celinda gave Trivo a withering look. Although Elaina had described their battle with the Lotus Assassins around the campfire last night, Celinda realized Trivo thought magic was her only defense. “If I can’t use my magic, Trivo, I can still battle. I learned to throw daggers from an acrobat I befriended in Elmsbrooke, and I can sharpen my skills on these kobolds if need be.”

“Right, good,” Trivo said. “Let’s get into position.”

Elaina climbed about fifteen feet into a tall pine tree nearby and readied her bow. Her companions crouched in the brush near the path they had been following. She said quietly, “They’ll be right next to you in about one minute.”

“Wait until they’re upon us, and attack. Make sure no harm comes to their prisoner.”

As everyone nodded their assent, a group of about a dozen kobolds made their way on the path, leading an elf about twice their height bound in leather straps and badly beaten. Ithetuuk gripped the handle of a throwing axe, and stepped out into the path before he launched it. The kobolds, frozen in fear, merely watched as one of their number was killed, his skull split by Ithetuuk’s blade. Brandishing their weapons, Trivo, Christopher, and Steeven came out in front of him each hacking at the kobolds. Elaina fired an arrow at a shaman she spied in the kobolds’ rearguard, but missed as the shaman continued chanting a spell. She cursed, and then made up for her mistake by firing an arrow into one of the kobolds who had still not joined the melee.

The kobolds were putting up a good fight, but the results seemed inevitable. Already three kobolds had fallen, and other than a shallow wound on Trivo’s thigh, the companions were unharmed. Even Celinda had managed to wound one of the kobolds with a dagger thrown into the gut of one of the creatures. Just as the battle was almost won, a swarm of hornets began attacking, inexplicably avoiding the kobolds.

The shaman! Elaina realized the hornet attack was magical, and she fired another arrow towards the shaman. This time, the arrow struck the shaman’s left eye, and he ran away howling in pain. Elaina continued firing arrows into the kobolds who were fighting her companions.

Celinda finished chanting a spell, and the hornets that stung Trivo, Christopher, and Steeven slowed and dropped to the ground, frozen. Celinda leaned against a tree, focusing her energy on preparing for another magical attack. Ithetuuk brandished his battle axe and joined the fight with a burning frenzy. He beheaded two of the kobolds up front, and took out another in the rear. With only two kobolds remaining, they turned to flee. Christopher caught up with one and slew him, while Elaina fired an arrow into the remaining kobold. Despite hitting its shoulder, it continued to run away.

Trivo began cutting through the cords that bound the kobolds’ prisoner as Steeven, Ithetuuk, and Christopher discussed the fight. Ithetuuk smiled broadly. With three kills, he felt victorious. Christopher, Steeven, and Trivo managed to kill one each, along with Celinda and Elaina. Two had fled, a warrior and shaman. Realizing a larger company would return to this spot soon, the companions followed the liberated elf along a nearby trail that also headed towards Athen.

“Thank you for helping me. My name is Keth,” the freed elf said.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Elaina replied. She introduced her companions and each gave a nod of acknowledgement. “Are you a resident of Athen?”

“Haha, no, I’m a wild elf,” he explained. “My family and I visit Athen every once in a while to trade, but the rest of our time we travel through the forest, hunting animals and gathering herbs and plants. My mother is an herbalist. She makes medicine that the people of Athen buy, and in return, they sell us weapons to use for hunting.”

“Could you lead us to Athen?” Steeven asked.

“Of course!” Keth replied. “It’s the least I could do for saving me.”

“How did you come to be captured?” Trivo asked as they made their way on a different path led in almost the same direction as the one they had been on.

“I got separated from my father while we were hunting,” he explained. “I tracked a scent I picked up, but when I looked back, I couldn’t see my father. I called out to him, but he didn’t answer. I fear he may have been killed by kobolds, though I’ll have no way of knowing unless I can find him or my mother.” His eyes welled with tears, but he managed to hold them back.

“How terrible,” Celinda said, her hand resting on the younger elf’s shoulder.

Keth replied, “There are rumors in Athen that the kobolds have been trading elf slaves, but nobody knows where they end up. Some believe that they go to the barbarians in the south, but I doubt that. I’m afraid they’re being sold up north to the pirates of Shark Tooth Bay, but that’s just a guess.”

“If we find any more kobolds, we’ll try to capture one and ask about your father. The smarter ones can speak common, and I’m sure we’ll come up with a way to motivate the stupid ones,” Trivo told him.

Keth nodded appreciatively, and the group continued on the trail. With the sun hanging low in the sky, the group reached Athen. Keth decided to follow the companions into the city to search for word of his parents. Ithetuuk cloaked himself, hiding most of his skin under layers of clothing, and imitated the stride of a short human. In the dim light of the setting sun, only an extremely inquisitive person could tell he was a goblin. He and Steeven left to find an inn and buy a bottle of ale so that he could stay out of sight indoors. The dwarf gave Trivo some money, and they convinced Keth to stay with them until they had bought supplies. Trivo suspected the merchants would be reluctant to cheat a known customer. Christopher decided to join Ithetuuk and Steeven in the inn, while Trivo, Celinda, Elaina, and Keth purchased their supplies.

The elves walked towards an armory and purchased a few swords, a couple of quality bows, leather armor, chain mail, gloves, and two full quivers of arrows. The money Steeven supplied them was more than sufficient, so Elaina decided to buy a particularly attractive silver dagger on the dwarf’s coin. The prices were so much lower than they would’ve been in the city of Tyrn, Elaina doubted he would even notice. Trivo didn’t say a word, mostly because he felt she’d deserved it for getting him out of prison and attracting Celinda to their side.

At the grocer’s as they stocked up on food, Trivo noticed a sign posted on the wall. It was a wanted poster, hung on behalf of the Royal Army. It showed pictures of Elaina, Christopher, Trivo, and Ithetuuk, though it showed no indication it suspected Ithetuuk to be travelling with them. He quietly alerted Elaina to the fact, so they ducked out and let Celinda and Keth buy their provisions.

Afterwards, they returned to the inn and Steeven ordered up food to their room. He was relishing the beginning of a new campaign, and enjoyed spending his well earned coin on good friends. As successful as the dwarf had been, he had little chance to spend much of what he earned and was taking advantage of their situation to enjoy a little of his wealth. As they waited for the food to arrive, Trivo used this time as a chance to speak about the poster they found at the grocer’s.

“I know everyone just wants to enjoy their food and drink, but I found something in town today that everyone should be aware of. The Royal Army has published wanted posters for Elaina, Ithetuuk, Christopher, and me in regard to the prison break. Since such little time has passed, this must mean the nobles are pressuring King Laertes’ to use all of his resources to pursue us. I’m not too worried about it, but think it’s a good idea that we begin using aliases whenever we have to give our names. I’ll be known as Thaddeus. Does everyone else have a name in mind?”

“I guess this is what I get for banding together with fugitives,” Steeven grumbled. “Call me, ‘Jethro.’”

“Krull,” Ithetuuk said simply.

“Celinda and I will be ‘Sophya’ and ‘Jocinda’” Elaina announced.

“Gaius will do,” Christopher added.

“Good,” Trivo said. “Hopefully, we won’t need to use them, but just make sure if we’re in town or stopped on the road, we don’t give our real names. It would be a shame if a soldier or mercenary didn’t recognize our faces only to hear a familiar name.”

“Now that we have our equipment,” Ithetuuk said, while gesturing with a drumstick, “where do we go next.”

“Good question,” Trivo replied. “Any suggestions?”

“Elmsbrooke would be the logical destination,” Christopher said.

“Aye, but the nobles may have a trap set for us there,” Steeven reminded them.

“Perhaps the Phoenix Guild has set up a new base. Could we seek their help?” Elaina asked.

“They may not want our help,” Celinda said. “After all, we’re the reason they lost their headquarters.”

“Roan bears no grudge against us. I’m sure of that. However, Celinda has a point. The Phoenix Guild will be keeping a low profile as they regroup, and our presence would only be a distraction. Not to mention, a vengeful or desperate mercenary could take advantage of our situation and turn us in. That’s a chance I don’t want to take.”

“A wise choice,” Ithetuuk replied. “Elmsbrooke is at the heart of this matter. No one should recognize Steeven or Christopher if we send them in as scouts. Christopher is no longer wearing the garb of the Knights Templar, and has been gone for years. I don’t think anyone would recognize him. He and Steeven should be able to figure out if the nobles are planning an ambush. In the meantime, the rest of you can hide in an inn, or simply test your disguises. I want to return to the territory of my clan. My brother, Ha’Jark, must be chief now that Asturk and I have been missing for so long. Perhaps with his help, I can find the goblin collaborator who has betrayed us.”

“Does anyone have any objections to Ithetuuk’s plan?” Trivo asked. No one spoke up. “Good, then give me a drumstick and some wine. I’m famished.”

“Haha, catch!” Steeven threw him an unopened bottle of Athen’s speciality, pomengranite wine. Its sour taste was considered a delicacy.

“Mmm, this food is delightful. Everything I’ve ever eaten has been so over-prepared by our chefs. This food is so simple, but it tastes so much better,” Celinda said.

“Yes, elven peasant food is my favorite,” Christopher added.

“Who are you calling a peasant?” Elaina asked, and the others began laughing.

Ithetuuk pulled Trivo aside. “The beginnings of campaigns are always the best,” he told Trivo. “I wonder how long this honeymoon will last.”

“Probably until we run out of food that tastes like food,” Trivo replied.

“I’m worried about returning home. Someone in my clan is collaborating with the elves. Asturk and I were just pawns. If I uncover something, I’ll have to feign ignorance unless I’m speaking to someone I can completely trust.”

“You’re afraid to return to the goblin lands?”

“I fear for nothing but the honor of my people. Trivo, you and I met as warriors. I respect you for that. If I don’t return from meeting with the members of my clan, I want you to see this through until the end. This is no ordinary campaign.”

“Yes, I agree. Already we’ve recruited a member of the nobility, become fugitives, and uncovered a plot that included Hektor’s assassination and set me up to take the fall. I’ll make sure no goblin, elf, dwarf, human, man or beast stands in our way.”

“Good,” Ithetuuk replied. “Just remember, I can take care of myself. If I go missing, I don’t need you and the girl to come and rescue me. The goblins show no mercy to elven prisoners.”

“Yes, I will be careful. For now, all we can do is enjoy ourselves. Drink and eat tonight, Ithetuuk. This may be your last night to sleep under a roof for some time.”

Just then Steeven came over and wrapped his arms around both of their shoulders. “Hello, boys. What kind of scheme are you hatching over here?”

“Haha, we’re just making sure we’ve got everything covered, you wretched drunkard,” Ithetuuk said with a grin.

“Bah! I’ve never met a goblin who couldn’t hold his liquor. Drink up, Ithetuuk!”

Ithetuuk pulled out a small metal flask from his pack. “This is goblin fire whiskey, my friend. It will keep you warm on winter nights. Take a sip.”

Steeven did so, and his cheeks and nose turned red. “This reminds me of my grandma’s recipe for dwarven hard cider, but packs more of a punch.”

“Do you want to try some, Trivo?” Ithetuuk asked.

“No thanks,” Trivo replied, lighting his pipe.

The companions continued to celebrate well into the night. This would be their last chance for revelry for some time, and with the coming weeks, the autumn air would grow cooler and the nights would grow longer. After a few more hours of laughter, feast, and drinking, they finally drifted off to sleep, ready to begin their campaign in earnest the following day.

* * * * *

As the cock crowed outside of the inn, Steeven woke up and put on his cloak. The chill morning air had crept through the window, and despite the fun he had last night, he felt rested and ready to go. Steeven felt pity for his friends who had had less of a history of drinking than he had, and decided to let them sleep for another hour or two. He filled a pipe with dwarven smokeleaf, ordered a cup of coffee from the inn, and took it outside to sit on the inn’s porch. He found an empty rocking chair, and slowly let the warmth of the coffee fill his bones and fill him with a spark of energy. The elven village of Athen was already showing signs of life. Merchants opened their stalls, offering vegetables, fruits, grains, crafts, and some even served a strange, concentrated coffee drink that was becoming popular in the courts of Elbrahim.

Steeven sat and watched the crowds pass, but became bored after an hour of sitting on the porch. Deciding this early hour would help them cover more ground today, he went back up to his companions’ room. He found a pot and pan in his pack, and began banging them together in the middle of the room.

“Up and at ‘em, boys and girls. Up and at ‘em!” he called out.

Elaina reached down and pulled up her boot to launch it at the dwarf. He batted it away with his pan, and brought it closer to Elaina’s head. She tried to cover herself with her pillow, but to no avail. After a couple minutes of Steeven’s raucous morning salutation, the group began putting on their new armor, washing their faces in a water basin, and snacking on a few of their provisions.

Christopher finished putting on his gear, and stretched the leather to find how it fit. “It may not offer as much protection, but at least leather armor doesn’t have to be broken in like plate mail.”

“Aye,” Ithetuuk said simply, and put a shirt of chain mail on. He placed tunic on over it, and adjusted his cloak to best conceal his features.

After finishing their morning routines, the companions checked out of the inn, and headed northwest through the forest to Elmsbrooke. Each member of the company was thankful for the food in their bellies and their well-rested bodies. Trivo began walking more quickly, and Elaina, knowing better than to protest, simply grit her teeth and tried to keep up.

For Chapters 6 and beyond, go to section two.  The link is just underneath.  Thanks for reading!